Deployed parents return to children's surprise

Published: Monday, February 3, 2014 at 04:37 PM.

Maj. Jimmy Hicks said coming home was easy; the hard part was the waiting after planning the surprise with his wife, Dawn, and WCU officials.

“I try to do everything I can for her, especially since I’m in the military and I’m away a lot,” he said. “It means a lot because you only live life once and I like to live life to the fullest. She planted the seed, and I wanted to make it all happen for her. I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.”

There was also a broader family part of the reunion and WCU Chancellor David Belcher said they are a “military friendly university” it was a privilege to be a part of the event.

“It is a celebration of family and a recognition for the service men and women and what they do for our country each and every day. It was a nice moment to recognize that,” Belcher said.

CAMP LEJEUNE ­­— Anne Montgomery said her husband always has loved a good surprise, but pulling off the latest required planning across international lines, keeping a secret from their four kids and plotting with two schools to make it happen.

In an instant, all the effort ended in the best reward: non-stop hugs for dad.

Maj. Vince Montgomery, a Camp Lejeune Marine, returned home Jan. 26 after being deployed for 241 days to Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan.

The next morning he headed to Swansboro Middle School for a surprise reunion with his oldest daughter, Samantha, 12, who arrived at the lunch wondering why her mom was standing in the lunchroom with her 18-month old sister, Charlotte.

She soon found her dad by her side as she chatted with her friends.

“I was shocked. I’m still shaking,” Samantha said as the reunion moved to Swansboro Elementary School.

Kindergartener Ryan, 5, and her brother, Alex, 9, were pulled up as volunteers during a school assembly, unaware of the surprise behind them until their dad stepped out on stage from behind a curtain.

After a brief hesitation, Ryan grabbed her dad’s neck and rarely left his side as they headed out of the school.

Alex proudly wore his USMC camouflage hat as he stood nearby.

“I didn’t think he’d be home for another two months,” he said.

For dad, the reunion was a post-holiday gift.

“This is the first Christmas I’ve ever been deployed so today is like our second Christmas,” he said.

With the winter storm that blew in the following day and brought snow to the area, it proved to be a white Christmas for the Montgomery family.

The reunion was a momentous one for the Hubert residents and they are among the military families who have shared that special moment with the public.

“I think it’s important that we keep people aware that we are still there (in Afghanistan),” he said.

Anne Montgomery agreed.

“I think because our military has been in Afghanistan for such a long time, people kind of forget on a daily basis. They forget that moms, dads, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives are over there for months at a time and that they leave families behind to wait for them. I want our family to be a reminder of the sacrifices that families are making all over the country, every day.”

And to do that in a “heartwarming, warm fuzzy, bring-tears-to-your-eyes” kind of way.

“It doesn’t matter what your political stance is, or what your feelings are on our military presence in Afghanistan, no one can deny the pure joy and raw emotion of seeing our Marines, sailors and soldiers coming home safely to their families,” she said.

A few days earlier, across the state, another area Marine family had a reunion of their own.

Maj. Jimmy Hicks, 45, of Jacksonville, who is with Marine Air Control Group 28 at Cherry Point has a daughter attending Western Carolina University.

He had never really thought about a surprise reunion before but remembered his daughter talking about seeing them on television and when he was getting ready to return home from his deployment to Afghanistan it crossed his mind.

He soon found Western Carolina University was more than willing to accommodate his desire to make his daughter’s wish come true.

On Jan. 23, during WCU’s basketball game against Davidson, Hicks took center stage wearing the school mascot costume and stood beside his daughter.

WCU sophomore Simms Hicks, 19, knew only that there was a special presentation to be made during the half-time event during which she’d be presenting a flag to the school on her dad’s behalf.

She didn’t want to get her hopes up that he might run out of the entrance to the court. She didn’t need to, he was already there.

When the mascot head was lifted off the costume, there were tears of happiness from an overwhelmed daughter.

“My message to my dad would be thank you, not just for pulling this off but for what you do for our family and our country. I hope you keep believing in me as much as you do because I need that,” she said. “Lastly, I just want him to know he is one of the greatest people I’ve ever me. I’m very proud to call him my dad.”

Maj. Jimmy Hicks said coming home was easy; the hard part was the waiting after planning the surprise with his wife, Dawn, and WCU officials.

“I try to do everything I can for her, especially since I’m in the military and I’m away a lot,” he said. “It means a lot because you only live life once and I like to live life to the fullest. She planted the seed, and I wanted to make it all happen for her. I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.”

There was also a broader family part of the reunion and WCU Chancellor David Belcher said they are a “military friendly university” it was a privilege to be a part of the event.

“It is a celebration of family and a recognition for the service men and women and what they do for our country each and every day. It was a nice moment to recognize that,” Belcher said.